1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to fired oil field vessels for heating a fluid, and particularly to such vessels including a damper system for maximizing the efficiency of a burner of the fired vessels.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
In oil field operations, the produced hydrocarbons coming directly from a well are often immediately directed to a vertical heater treater apparatus which heats the produced well fluid and directs it through a series of baffles and conduits to separate water from the hydrocarbons and to separate gaseous hydrocarbons from liquid hydrocarbons.
Such heater treaters typically have a U-shaped fire tube extending horizontally into an elongated vertical vessel, and have a burner which directs a flame into the lower leg of the fire tube. The well fluid produced from the well flows past the fire tube and is heated thereby so as to aid in breaking the oil-water emulsion so as to separate the water from the hydrocarbons.
The nature of the burner installation on such oil field heater treaters is such that a combustion air intake passage is located behind the burner and typically a flame arrester constructed from a dense metallic mesh perhaps six to eight inches thick is placed across the air intake inlet to prevent flames from the burner from passing therethrough.
Since large amounts of energy are utilized in such heater treaters, it is desirable to maximize the efficiency of the burners.
One technique which has previously been known for use with burners generally, as opposed to specific application thereof to oil field heater treaters, involves the variation of the amount of excess combustion air which is provided to a burner. This can be accomplished by adjusting a damper which controls the area of the air intake inlet.